The free world is the new continent in cyberspace that we have built so we can live here in freedom. It's impossible to live in freedom in the old world of cyberspace, where every program has its feudal lord that bullies and mistreats the users. So, to live in freedom we have to build a new continent. Because this is a virtual continent, it has room for everyone, and there are no immigration restrictions. - Richard Stallman -

Day in and day out, there are small (or smallish) applications I have come to completely rely upon. Without these tools, my job and/or my sanity would become precarious. These tools range from entertainment to administration (and all points in between). So I thought I would share my short list with my loyal readers. Check out these apps, then pick and choose those that belong on your must-have

Calc is an interactive calculator which provides for easy large numeric calculations, but which also can be easily programmed for difficult or long calculations. It can accept a command line argument, in which case it executes that single command and exits. Otherwise, it enters interactive mode. I n this mode, it accepts commands one at a time, processes them, and displays the answers. In the

If you've not seen a Nexus 7, it's a nice little device. Like all "Nexus"-branded Android devices, it's a "reference" device for Google's base Android implementation, so it's got a well-supported set of hardware. I'm not trying to make this article sound like a full-fledged review of the device, but here's a few tech specs in case you're not familiar with it: Ubuntu Touch is something I've been

Anyone who knows me well enough knows I love mobile devices. Phones, tablets and other shiny glowing gadgets are almost an addiction for me. I've talked about my addiction in other articles and columns, and Kyle Rankin even made fun of me once in a Point/Counterpoint column because my household has a bunch of iOS devices in it. Well. I was fortunate enough to add an Android device to the mix

Kig is an application for interactive geometric construction, allowing students to draw and explore mathematical figures and concepts using the computer. It is intended to serve two purposes: Allow students to interactively explore mathematical figures and concepts using the computer Serve as a WYSIWYG tool for drawing mathematical figures and including them in other documents

Mednafen is a multi-system emulator, driven from the command-line. Many of its cores are ports of other emulators, but many of them are also original. Its Playstation and PC Engine original cores are notable for their high quality, compatibility and accuracy. Mednafen only has a command line interface, so its interface might be hard to use to new users. The best cores in Mednafen are those

1.- Run Command. You can run any application in your path using the Run Command. Use Alt+F2. 2.- Turn off Hot Keys. This is the most evil option on any operating system, in my opinion. A mis-stroke enables any number of random events. Unfortunately, this problem is pervasive in operating systems and is difficult to turn off. Menu -> System -> Administration-> Advanced -> Input Actions ->

Ubuntu-Med is a project to incorporate several servers useful to medical practitioners into a single customized (K)Ubuntu-based operating system. The Filesystem Archive or LiveCD can be installed or used as a demo (after some additional personalized customization). To go directly to the Sourceforge page click here. Note: Any device (including software) used for diagnosis or treatment

Kitsune is a software aiming at solving digit problem of a famous television game show. It enables you to solve a problem of your choice, or to train yourself with random problems. Facing a problem, Kitsune will find all the different solutions, attempting not to put up comparable results (those which seem identical for a human player) : if the problem is solvable, this software will put up all

Making the switch to Ubuntu – or any popular Linux distribution – is more than the mere act of changing operating systems. You must also have apps that allow you to get work done. In this article, I'll be sharing critical applications that I rely on, and I’ll talk about how I use them in my daily activities. Apps for Daily Use. Generally when it comes to software on the Linux desktop, I drop